Written Answers Wednesday 8 February 2006

Scottish Executive

2014 Commonwealth Games

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to using sporting facilities in West Dunbartonshire and East Dunbartonshire should Glasgow’s bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games be successful.

Patricia Ferguson: Should Glasgow’s 2014 Commonwealth Games bid be successful the consideration of which facilities host events will be made by the venues planning sub-group.

  No firm decision on venues has yet been made. However, the Scottish Executive and Glasgow City Council have received advice from the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland which shows that Scotland’s bid is more likely to be successful if venues are as close together as possible and if the use of these facilities is maximised where possible. All of the bid partners are committed to ensuring the games, if awarded to Glasgow, involve and benefit the whole of Scotland.

2014 Commonwealth Games

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-22355 by Patricia Ferguson on 24 January 2006, why it has no plans at this time to undertake an analysis of whether the United Kingdom as a whole is likely to accrue benefits from Glasgow hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Patricia Ferguson: The bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games is in its initial stages. A decision on analysis of the impact on the United Kingdom as a whole will be made at a later stage.

Justice

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to allow the retention of DNA samples taken from an accused person aged under 18 if they are subsequently cleared of any offence.

Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22739 on 6 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Olympic Games

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21643 by Patricia Ferguson on 12 January 2006, how this indicates whether it will be making estimates at any stage as to how much additional growth the Scottish economy will accrue as a direct result of London hosting the 2012 Olympic Games.

Patricia Ferguson: As noted in S2W-21643, it is part of the remit of the Scottish Steering Group for London 2012 to consider the potential beneficial effects on the Scottish economy of the 2012 Games. However, that group will not estimate the effects on Scotland’s rate of economic growth: the Scottish Executive does not forecast Scotland’s economic growth rate.

Olympic Games

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-22354 by Patricia Ferguson on 24 January 2006, whether, in its assessment of the financial support that Scotland has committed to the London Olympics, it has included an assessment of the lost lottery monies to Scottish recipients that could result as part of the expected displacement effect caused by the new Olympic lottery game.

Patricia Ferguson: The UK Government is hopeful that introduction of Olympic lottery games will continue to raise lottery ticket sales, and projections for existing good causes remain close to predicted levels until 2009 (the end of the current lottery license period). The lottery share for existing good causes is guaranteed to 2009. The UK Government is currently consulting widely on the shape of lottery funds for arts, film, sport and heritage, with their decisions to be announced in June 2006. The Scottish Executive has ensured that the Scottish share of sports lottery funding (£25 million) will be spent in Scotland.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21629 by Cathy Jamieson on 20 January 2006, how it can state that placing prisoners in open prisons saves taxpayers more money than if they were placed in a regular prison, as it did in the answer to question S2W-21073 by Cathy Jamieson on 5 December 2005, if it does not have any figures to indicate that this is the case.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21629. The lower security requirements in an open prison mean that staffing levels are for example generally lower and our open prisons do not have the same infrastructure costs associated with establishing perimeter security such as high walls or fences or with maintaining high level internal security systems required in closed establishments.

Public Sector Staff

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that public authority employees who purchase computers under its Home Computer Initiative receive the equipment from their chosen supplier within the agreed delivery period.

George Lyon: The Scottish Executive monitors the overall performance of the Home Computer Initiative Framework with each of the suppliers. Participating public authorities enter into individual contractual arrangements with their chosen supplier and performance of a contract is ordinarily a matter for the relevant public authority. However, following delays in pre-Christmas deliveries from BT, the Scottish Executive has been working with BT to address the problem. As a result, performance has significantly improved and we are continuing to work with BT to resolve outstanding issues.